


Astronaut

by melimarron



Series: Trapped [1]
Category: Zathura - Chris Van Allsburg, Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
Genre: Gen, POV The Astronaut, Zathura’s back on Netflix!, it’s a weirdly good movie okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:08:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26279935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melimarron/pseuds/melimarron
Summary: Walter wishes his brother away.It's the worst thing he's ever done.
Relationships: Walter | The Astronaut & Danny, Walter | The Astronaut & Lisa
Series: Trapped [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909453
Kudos: 15





	Astronaut

**Author's Note:**

> You know what I found really funny about Zathura, just as a side note? The fact that they keep losing track of the game. They lose it or leave it in a dangerous place FIVE TIMES. In Jumanji, the players protect the game with their LIVES, and in Zathura, they literally let aliens take it.

“I want him to leave,” Danny says, pointing at the Astronaut.

The Astronaut shrugs. “All right, big guy.” He shrugs on his oxygen tank. “Good luck with your game.”

“We don’t need luck,” Walter snaps. “We don’t need you.”

The Astronaut salutes him sarcastically. “Admiral,” he says.

And he’s gone.

Three moves later, so is Danny.

* * *

At first, Walter thinks it’s a joke. The card couldn’t have _really_ wished Danny away, right? He’s just under the bed, or in the dumbwaiter, or in the closet. He’s not really gone. The game just wants to scare him.

Then Lisa comes out of her shower, and the Zorgons are on them.

“What the hell is happening?” she shrieks, and Walter does not have a good answer for her. So he runs and hugs her around the middle, despite her protests.

“Danny’s gone and we’re in space and we’re being hunted by Zorgons! They eat meat! We’re meat!” he babbles. There might be a few sobs thrown in there too, but he’s had a rough day.

“Get off of me!” Lisa pushes Walter away. “The house is destroyed! What’s going on and where’s Danny?”

“I don’t _know!_ We were playing this game and I got a wish card-”

There’s a knock at the door.

Lisa rolls her eyes and goes to answer it. “You better have a good explanation for this,” she hisses, looking around at the wrecked kitchen. She opens the door.

The Astronaut is there. He pushes his way in, past Lisa. “Good,” he says. “You aren’t dead yet. Where’s Danny?”

“Who are _you?_ ” Lisa demands. She catches a glimpse of outer space outdoors. “ _Oh my God-_ ”

“I’m the Astronaut from the game we’re in,” the Astronaut cuts her off smoothly. “Danny spun me. Where is he?”

Walter takes a shaky breath. “I didn’t mean to,” he says. “I- I was angry. I got a wish card. The game doesn’t work anymore. It’s his turn.”

The Astronaut’s face turns a sickly shade of gray. He hurries forwards and grabs Walter by the arms. “What did you wish for?” he demands. “What did you wish for?”

“I-” Walter hiccups. “I-”

“Get your hands off him,” Lisa snaps, yanking at one of the Astronaut’s arms.

“I wished for him to never be born!” Walter shouts at the Astronaut’s face. He can feel the tears starting again. “Are you happy now?”

The Astronaut stumbles back, and leans against the kitchen counter. Lisa and Walter stay where they are, watching him.

The Astronaut exhales slowly. “Well,” he says, “you fucked up. Danny’s gone. Forever.”

Walter swallows.

“Danny’s _dead?_ ” Lisa asks.

“Game’s over,” the Astronaut says. “It’s a two player game and one player’s been wished out of existence, so, good job. You’re stuck here, in space, in Zathura. Forever.”

“How... do you know that?” Walter asks between heavy breaths that he refuses to admit are sobs. “Lisa could... take over for Danny. We’ll just... play until we get another wish card, and then... we’ll go home.”

“Doesn’t work like that,” the Astronaut says.

“How do you know?” Walter challenges.

“Because fifteen years ago, my brother and I played this game. We argued a lot, too, and he didn’t make it. Now I’m stuck here. And so are you, thanks to _him._ ”

“Well you can’t talk!” Walter cries. “You’re a player, you’re stuck here, you probably made the same wish!”

The Astronaut looks at him coolly. “My brother didn’t get the Astronaut card,” he says. “He and my sister were killed by Zorgons. I didn’t get the chance to wish him away.”

“Oh.”

“Somebody tell me what’s going on!” Lisa demands.

Walter takes a hiccuping breath, opens his mouth, and the story comes pouring out.

* * *

Lisa is furious. He can see it in her eyes. But at the same time, she’s the only thing resembling a responsible adult that Walter trusts, so she ends up taking charge.

“How can we get home?” she asks the Astronaut.

“You can’t. We’re in another universe to Earth.” The Astronaut looks at the two of them pityingly. “Look, I was in a similar situation to the two of you once. I can help you out. There’s a ship full of people nearby, all Zathura survivors. I can take you there.”

Walter looks at Lisa.

Lisa looks at Walter.

“Sounds like it’s our only option,” Lisa says.

* * *

The ship the Astronaut takes them to is called, appropriately, _The Zathura_.

It’s nice enough, for a ship full of traumatized refugees. Half of them are victims of Zorgons and half of them accidentally destroyed or broke their game. Walter’s the only one dumb enough to wish the other player away.

Each refugee has a different job. Some help to create the tasteless food paste. Some work on the ship and get it fixed when something goes wrong. There’s an entire division dedicated to finding out how to get back to Earth.

And then there’s the astronaut division, and Walter knows that that’s what he’s going to become if he can’t find a way home.

After dropping them off, the Astronaut hands Walter a device that he says can contact him, and he leaves, presumably back to his own universe.

Walter and Lisa are on their own.

Stuck in a board game forever.

* * *

As Walter gets older, he starts noticing things about his appearance. There’s something familiar about his face, about his hands, that makes him sit up and think that he’s seen them somewhere- somewhere other than a mirror.

He completes his astronaut training at twenty-three. He puts his helmet on, and looks in the mirror.

Recognition comes all at once, and Walter feels nauseous.

* * *

“I think I’m the Astronaut,” Walter says to Lisa on their next call. She’s long since left the original ship. She wanders the galaxy with a band of other failed players, hunting down Zorgons and game refugees. She's given up on home. He has, too.

Lisa looks him over. “Duh,” she says.

Walter exhales slowly. “I’m not even surprised.”

“Dude, me neither.” Lisa fiddles with something off screen. “I need to go soon- Zorgons are due to attack in two hours. But maybe you should talk to the Astronaut. The one who saved us. You still have his number, right?”

Walter slides a hand in his pocket. His fingers brush against the slip of paper. “Yeah.”

* * *

He calls the Astronaut.

“Yeah,” the Astronaut says. “I’m you.”

Walter closes his eyes. “Oh,” he says hollowly. “But you… didn’t get a wish card. Right?”

“No. Danny didn’t spin up an Astronaut when we played. He and Lisa got eaten by Zorgons.”

“Oh.” 

“Yep.”

“Maybe we’re all destined to lose our brothers,” one Astronaut says to the other.

The other Astronaut snorts. “At least I didn’t wish mine away.”

“At least I still have one sibling,” the first Astronaut says.

The other Astronaut scowls at him. “Go and wish yourself out of existence or something.”

“Go get eaten by Zorgons or something.”

The other Astronaut raises a middle finger and hangs up, back in his own lonely universe.

* * *

The Astronaut’s been stuck in Zathura for fifteen years when he feels a tug. Against his better judgement, he follows the tug.

He shouldn’t have. But he’s been stuck in a board game for fifteen years. What else was he going to do?

He follows it to a wormhole. 

Without even thinking about it, the Astronaut steps through.

* * *

It’s been a _wild_ day, even by the Astronaut’s standards. He looks down at his younger self and Danny, and hopes with all his heart that this Danny will allow him to stay.

He knows this Danny won’t. His Danny hadn’t. Danny was going to send him away and the Astronaut would have no choice but to comply and little Walter would make the same mistake he did and he and Lisa would be trapped in space forever.

“Whose brother are you?” little Walter demands, staring at Danny. “His or mine?”

The Astronaut watches the scene solemnly, prepared to step out the door.

But this Danny lets him stay.

The Astronaut breathes a sigh of relief and leads the way to the living room to continue the game.

Maybe things will be different this time.

* * *

He tries to talk them down from the cheating argument. And the baby argument. He remembers these arguments. Danny had sent his Astronaut away. But _he_ was the Astronaut now, and _he_ got to stay. If he can stop the wish-

He just wants to go home. He can’t. But maybe these kids can.

He watches them play.

He wishes that he could do the same.

* * *

He saves little Walter from being ejected. When he had played the game, Danny had managed to save him with the lamp. Maybe this time, Danny wasn’t as fueled by pure rage and fear to save his brother.

It doesn’t matter. Everyone’s alive.

For now.

* * *

The gold card comes out, and the Astronaut’s heart stops.

 _No. No no no no no_.

The boys are screaming at each other again, but all the Astronaut can hear is the blood roaring in his ears. _No. No. No._

He manages to get out a few protests to try to keep the peace, but he knows it’s futile.

A light fills the room. There’s a horrible sick feeling in the Astronaut’s stomach.

“I get my wish now, don’t I?” There’s something dangerous in Walter’s voice.

“Yeah,” the Astronaut chokes out.

They stand up together and go to the window. Walter is silent.

“Don’t do it,” the Astronaut says.

“Don’t do what?”

“Don’t wish what you’re thinking.”

“You don’t know what I’m thinking.”

“Yeah, well, I can tell it ain’t good. Listen, no matter how good an idea seems like when you’re angry, it never is. You gotta trust me on this one, Walter.” _Please trust me. Please trust me._

Walter closes his eyes. His lips move.

The star passes.

The wish has been made.

* * *

He wished for a football. A goddamn football.

The Astronaut wants to scream and cry at the same time.

* * *

Oh. Zorgons again. Great.

The Astronaut sets the kitchen on fire- which is, to be honest, something he’s always wanted to do- and Lisa makes her appearance.

“I’m the Astronaut,” the Astronaut explains. “From the game we’re in. Danny spun me.” He points to Danny, then turns and runs back to the living room, the boys hot on his heels. He doesn’t have the time to explain everything to a clueless version of his sister.

* * *

It’s up to him to find the game. He’s slipped into and out of Zorgon ships in the service of the Zathuran Fleet before. He knows the layout of the ships, if necessary. But he knows the layout of the basement like the back of his hand.

It’s just never been this important before.

He tries to get it. He fails. _What good is being a fully trained astronaut if I can’t get one little game?_

He goes back to the laundry room. Lisa tells him that he tried his best, which is… weird. She’d never been that supportive before- not without a snarky comment about how his best was probably pathetic anyway.

Danny comes up with the dumbwaiter idea, and honestly, the Astronaut isn’t a huge fan of letting a player risk his life more than necessary, but Danny’s also the only one who can fit in the dumbwaiter, so the Astronaut just has to cross his fingers.

They survive the Zorgons with a mix of a Reprogramming card and a strategically placed piano.

And now they’re free to win.

Danny goes. Walter goes. Walter gets a second turn.

There’s another gold card.

The Astronaut’s heart stops again.

_This whole time there was another wish card in there._

The light fills the living room, and Walter gets to his feet. He looks at the Astronaut. The Astronaut looks at him.

“Thanks for helping us out,” Walter says. He turns towards the light and whispers something, but the Astronaut can’t quite make it out.

The light fades, and Danny is standing in front of them.

For the third time in, like, an hour, the Astronaut’s heart stops.

Danny doesn’t recognize him, which is disappointing, but expected. He’s fifteen years older. He’s not the same football-obsessed kid that Walter is. He’s the Astronaut who never reached the real Zathura.

The Dannys touch, and one fades away.

The Astronaut knows what he has to do.

Relief blooms in this chest. His part is up. The game will be won. The game is finally _over._

He walks over to Walter. “Thank you.”

“I- I didn’t-”

“You did a good job.” He hopes that his version of Lisa will be okay. “You did better than I did.”

He touches Walter’s shoulder and dissolves.

His game is over.

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think?


End file.
